My Chelsea is a niche boutique hotel located in the heart of Chelsea. With the brand of My Hotels set in unique locations that complement their surroundings, this hotel does just that. Drawing on the beautiful gardens and annual flower shows of Chelsea, the hotel design creates an experience where botany and nature come together to provide a serene environment for hotel guests and visitors alike.

Upon entering, the lobby space draws focus to our bespoke light feature surrounded by walls painted in raven black. In the main conservatory, the monochromatic backdrop of the design allows the greenery of the tropical array of plants to stand out. This is supplemented with DH Liberty Lux Pear lights which provide an organic counterpart to the existing structural framework of the greenhouse. These organic layers are juxtaposed with carefully sourced geometric furniture inclusive a distressed bar with stone top and white oak floors laid in an angled geometry. In the bedrooms, delicate dewdrops from our DH Liberty Lux collection drip from the ceiling as hexagonal concrete tiles wrap the walls of the bathrooms and honeycomb mesh integrates into the bespoke joinery. We’ve also created a raw delicatessen which serves guilt free and healthy desserts, raw juices and salads from Tanya’s Kitchen.

The consistent juxtaposition of organic and geometric forms create a series of spaces that feel effortless in their totality and provide an aligned brand identity for the My Hotel Chelsea and its future guests.

The task from the client wasAutodesk: to make the project of the office as quickly as possible – for 2 weeks. We had no more than 2 months to implement the project. It was also necessary to keep open ceilings with visible communications. All the rest of the interior was planned to be made as economically as possible – walls for painting, matte-glass partitions, carpet covering on the floors.

Therefore, our idea was to introduce bright art objects into the strict orthogonal geometry of the walls. These smooth objects, were called upon to bring life into this office space and attract all attention. We invented the “arch”, which combined the reception desk and a table of the conference room into a single subject. Also, 2 “trees” were invented, which were more decorative with a lights inside and partially concealed the existing column. In addition to these notable objects, less vivid second plan objects were also developed: a window to the kitchen, a wavy wall of accounting room and a relaxation zone that contained soft sofas in rigid geometry.

However, when our experts calculated the budget for the project, it turned out that it was too high. So we had to rethink the design.

We made a 2nd incarnation of the design.

And a clearer and laconic version of the design appears, which was realized.

A pixel grid was created for the floor of this space in which the colors of the main elements of the office were reflected . All communications on the ceiling was painted black to hid it in the darkness. The level of the lights is located just below. We have created light lines, composed of diode RGB-luminaires. The lines are concentrated over the work tables. Above the aisles there are no such lines, therefore, smooth cutouts are created in the system of these parallel lamps. Also additional illumination of art objects is provided.

Opposite to the art object “Arch” in contrast to its lightness was created a dark and monumental form of the dressing room. The columns of the office are lined with a mirror metal, which creats paradoxical optical effects in the space.

In 1976 architects Jean and Veronique Boland-Springal designed and built a row house for themselves in the sleeping quarters in Brussels. Even though owners changed several times and the building went through several maintenances, main spaces and architecture stayed the same. The dwelling is organized into 6 levels, which creates compelling spaces, engaging perspectives and connects street and inner-courtyard on different levels. Building framework is from monolithic concrete columns and slabs and is compressed in a 5m gap between masonry brick walls. Bay windows with an open concrete structure framework are duplicated in the interior spaces. Meanwhile, the captured representation was oppressing – everything was painted in various colors and enclosed with diverse materials, which were physically and morally worn out.

In the interior project, we attempted to emphasize main values of the building – existing spaces, concrete structure and warm of the masonry bricks. Firstly, the whole area was cleared up of unnecessary partitions, doors, massive furnace, even the courtyard was purged off from old brushwood. Since deep spaces lack natural light, we solved it with a help of white surfaces, transparent partitions and railings. Consequently, variant level space between living and dining rooms becomes more solid and continuous. Guest toilet gets the natural light through the transparent glass block partition, while master cloakroom – from an opening in the wall. Masonry bricks, which are inherent for Brussels, were polished and displayed at one side of the dwelling. Wall’s rough texture and warm color unexpectedly mediates and moderately highlights main spaces. Concrete structures are exposed on the white surfaces. Beams of various forms, columns, bay windows are sanded from paint and become an active participant in the interior space. Furthermore, all furniture, doors and partitions are tied to these elements. Reinforced concrete, together with masonry bricks becomes a peculiar heritage (even from 70’s) on the background of new surfaces materials, for this reason, we tried to avoid the abundance of them. Basically, these are lush playful-patterned parquet, subtle grey tiles in the basement, utility rooms and white painted surfaces. The airy mood is livened up by camouflage green color, which appears on different furniture and surfaces, as well as new black/white heaters harmonized to dwelling’s epoch times.

For now, the building continues to exist side-by-side with the new growing family, so eventually the interior will be filled in with designed inside/ outside furniture, additional lightning and courtyard will lush with new greenery.

The project arises from the desire of the customer – a multinational plastic injection molding company – to adapt the image of its current office building to the corporate identity and entity of the company at the present moment, where it has positioned itself as an international benchmark in the sector under the premise of “passion and innovation in plastics”, at the forefront in design and the most advanced technologies without abandoning their origins of artisan work and exhaustive care of the product.

With this premise, the leitmotiv of the project is based on extolling the value of the central staircase, which runs through the triple height of the atrium that connects the three program floors collected in the building. A singular staircase that is regularized in terms of morphology and refined in terms of materiality, with a tinted glass rail that gives it greater lightness while entering an interesting dialogue of reflections and symmetries with the boxes of glass where the new rooms are located, destined to meeting rooms and offices attached to the CEO, and whose incorporation to the program was necessary because of the exponential growth of the company.

Facing this need for programmatic expansion and the location of new spaces in the area of triple height as a must, it was decided to materialize these new areas as glass boxes that, while giving some privacy of use, respect at all times the visual of the whole, maintaining the reading of the atrium as a triple height that no way could be deleted in the project.

The purity and uniformity of the coatings is achieved on the one hand by panels of chestnut wood, which regularize the vertical walls while integrating facilities and gateways, and white continuous ceilings on the other, with indirect and hidden linear LED lighting.

The interesting view of the curtain wall is reinforced by the spot lighting of the ceiling in the atrium area at triple height, using luminaries that go off at different heights and which, on the ground floor, seem to simulate a starry sky above our heads.

Finally, a bit of color is given with the chosen furniture, with a wink to the company by using the corporate red that, without being an absolute protagonist, is still present in its renovated headquarters.

The result is an office building that has nothing to do with the previous one. A current and future project according to the entity of the company; with a completely renewed aesthetic in which the simplicity and the purity of lines prevail, where natural materials such as wood are handcrafted and, in which it is possible to adapt the program to the current needs of the company while maintaining – or even extol – both the unique staircase and the triple height where it is located.

Tucked away on the south side of Hong Kong island and hidden amongst the hectic industrial buildings is the latest haven designed by Lim+Lu. Designed for a multi-talented animal-loving couple, whose hobbies include hosting painting and baking workshops, this abode offers the dwellers plenty of space for their activities as well as roaming space for their five pets.

The 2600-square-foot property was previously a warehouse space. The clients asked design collective Lim + Lu to maintain the rawness of the space while transforming it into a family home and creative workshop space that can house the couple’s existing furniture and memorabilia they’ve collected during their travels.

When designing a home, Lim + Lu believes that the inhabitant’s personality and character should be reflected in the space and it should tell their stories. New York is still the one place that leaves the strongest imprint for the multi-national couple who have lived in many countries before settling in Hong Kong. Both Lim and Lu can relate to this strong gravitational pull New York has to one’s heart as they both lived in Manhattan for several years. The challenge for this project became creating a home that is reminiscent of the place they hold so close to their hearts, New York, in Hong Kong.

Lim commented, “We design with the context in mind; being mindful of the surroundings as well as the inhabitants. In this instance, we are working with a space neighbouring many industrial complexes and a client who has a deep connection with New York. We thought this would be a perfect opportunity to harmonize western and eastern cultures.” Lu added, “We borrowed elements from the surrounding industrial neighbourhood and intertwined them with the idea of a New York loft. When inside the space, without looking out the windows, one is transported to a loft in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. When you look out, you are immediately connected to Hong Kong. The idea of a warehouse-type New York loft in Hong Kong seems unusual yet it is perfectly fitting in the surrounding industrial environment.

Originally a completely open plan with no divisions, kitchen, or bathrooms, and with windows only on one side, the space challenged Lim + Lu to strategically plan the layout for the filtration of light and facilitation of the client’s activities.

Lim + Lu’s solution was to divide the space into two halves- private and public. Upon entering through a decrepit factory door that was left untouched from its factory days, you are greeted by a minimal vestibule containing only a bench and a shoe cabinet. Peeling back the adjacent industrial sliding door will reveal a painting workshop space populated with supplies. For the client’s privacy when they hold workshops, it appears that there is nothing more to the unit than the workshop at first glance. However, at closer observation, one is offered a glimpse into the hidden apartment through the window on the back wall of the work space. Peeling back the second sliding door exposes a spacious and light-filled living space that is hard to find in Hong Kong, where space is often limited.

Because the clients are highly social creatures who enjoy hosting cooking classes and dinner parties, the public spaces where classes are held, such as the workshop and the kitchen are located closest to the entrance. To ensure the most privacy, the more intimate spaces, such as the bedroom and the master bathroom, are located furthest away from the main entrance. Due to the lack of windows in the private half of the loft, Lim + Lu incorporated steel and glass sliding doors to bring sunlight into the bedroom and the master bath. The doors, when completely open, allow for the private and public spaces to come together seamlessly as one.

Extreme organizational flexibility, attention to environmental quality and an accurate interpretation of the setting: these were the requirements for the headquarters of IDF Habitat, the French company in charge of the development of social housing operations. In March 2017 IDF Habitat proudly announced its new address, 15 km from the heart of Paris. Designed by Piuarch, Stefano Sbarbati and Incet Ingénierie, the winners of a competition held in 2013, the Champigny-sur-Marne headquarters were inspired by the desire to create an efficient, functional complex, and above all one that stands as an indispensable element in the area’s transformation process. The building is in fact part of the so-called “ZAC des Bords de Marne,” an ambitious redevelopment program aimed at defining a new social, cultural and productive sector connected with the city, interpreting expectations and generating a system with a strong identity.

Characterized by an L-shaped plan and a silhouette that varies in height, the volumes develop into an articulated form, establishing crisp lines and allowing the square in front to be designed and defined as a collective space. Each side also reacts to the existing surrounds through a relationship of solid and empty spaces: at the entrance, and thus facing the square, the façade is a permeable screen completely covered by glass hidden behind a system of loggias of varying heights, interrupted by a series of breaks in the pattern that make the composition more dynamic. This front is proposed here as a section through which one glimpses the working environments, including the lobby, small meeting rooms, private offices and the large stairway, or, conversely, as a way to project the life of the building toward the outside. The side of the building opposite the entrance, facing the railroad and along the road, is more compact with a tight rhythm of vertical openings: these are the south, east and west façades, where it is necessary to filter the solar gain and to create an acoustic barrier against the noise of trains passing by. The shell is made of concrete cast onsite and then smoothed to create a uniform effect. It integrates the construction system, which is connected to prefabricated hollow core slabs with a span of 13 meters, without any need for intermediate supports. The result is a free plan, which can be organized according to needs: a solution made possible not only by the absence of pillars and supporting walls, but also by the systems installations, which run vertically at the crossing point between the two wings before being inserted into the floating floor at each level. The modularity of the facades, marked by windows 67.5 cm wide spaced at 135 cm intervals, also contributes to the same objective and facilitates any changes in the layout of the internal spaces.

The only “rule” for the flexible layout, which can be changed over time by IDF Habitat, is the continuous juxtaposition of work areas and collective areas. The four floors of offices above the basement – devoted entirely to parking because the structure stands on land at risk of flooding – mix different types of spaces and include large socialization areas both indoors and outdoors, thus ensuring a high quality environment for employees. This quality is enhanced by the roof terrace, which adds to the defining of a pleasant place with tables, seating, deckchairs and sun shading elements.

The expressive forms of the building therefore originate from the search for sustainability at all levels and from the ongoing dialogue with the surrounds and with the broader redevelopment program for the Champigny-sur-Marne area, delivering architecture with a strong identity, which accurately interprets the existing elements and structures within the setting.

Situated in a prominent building from 1906, SUSURU Ramen and Gyoza bar enlivens the façade and street it rests on. Working closely with the City Council, the design breaks away from the traditional mining aesthetic typical of the area. As the city grows and develops, it attracts more foreign attention, whom don’t necessarily have the same rapport with what was largely a mining town many years ago. The SUSURU restaurant is for the newcomers, for those visiting, and most importantly, for those long term residents wanting to see the city develop and diversify.

With the introduction of a new and foreign food type to the city, opportunity was afforded in this design for something completely fresh. Taking cues from Tokyo metro station and train design, a predominantly white interior acts as a backdrop to a yellow highlight, a signifier of the brand. To this base, we add in temporary graphic design elements, menu boards, signage, tablet covers and doors that are made to add focal points and to draw attention. These elements are cycled seasonally, much like advertisements adding life to the metro stations and train carriages.

As the architects, we oversaw the project from idea conception, brand development through to product and material sourcing, project management, marketing and advertising and User Experience (UX) interface design of the ordering systems. This gave us complete control over the entire process, similar in nature to Gesamtkunstwerk.

Where we could, local fabricators were used, particularly to re-liven the metal industry in the city, with designs for furniture, as apposed to equipment for mining. Repetitive products that could be sourced in bulk were imported from larger factories in China.

The response thus far from the city seems unprecedented, described as “Newcastle Urbanisation (finally)”, as a “prelude to the plausible future of 2049”, and resembles “what a hospital cafe might look like when drawn in a Pokémon graphic novel.”

]]>https://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/2018/01/05/susuru-in-new-south-wales-australia-by-prevalent/feed/0456307The Fleming Hotel in Wan Chai, Hong Kong by A Work of Substancehttps://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/2017/12/27/the-fleming-hotel-in-wan-chai-hong-kong-by-a-work-of-substance/
https://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/2017/12/27/the-fleming-hotel-in-wan-chai-hong-kong-by-a-work-of-substance/#respondWed, 27 Dec 2017 13:10:01 +0000https://www10.aeccafe.com/blogs/arch-showcase/?p=455074Article source: A Work of Substance

A Work of Substance was tasked to redesign and rebrand The Fleming Hotel, originally opened in 2006. A new take on the architecture, interior, products, and identity transformed The Fleming into a 66-room boutique hotel that is a true reflection of Hong Kong. Occupying a building from the 70s’, the hotel stands in Wan Chai close to Victoria Harbour front. The multilayered design concept draws inspiration from the location and history, leveraging Hong Kong’s maritime heritage and 70s’ industrial era to create a cultural, social and efficient character. One landmark that embodies these three elements is the Star Ferry — having connected people across the harbour for over a century, it is a piece of Hong Kong’s collective memory and identity. The Star Ferry, a unique and elegant icon of Hong Kong’s past and present, became the foundation for every design detail, including the custom designed furniture and lighting. Nostalgia is further evoked by colours and scents: Carmine reds and bottle greens — hues seen on the hull of Hong Kong’s ferries, fishing boats, delivery trucks, and temples —and apothecary-inspired toiletries and custom aroma of sandalwood and amber notes, to deliver an authentic sense of place.

We are most proud of meeting the needs of our target audience, and creating a memorable aesthetic impression that captures what Hong Kong feels like. The Fleming now drives foot traffic to the industrial Wan Chai, uplifting aesthetics and rejuvenating culture in the neighbourhood. Our creative strategy was informed by an in-depth research process on international and local hospitality landscape and The Fleming’s clientele — business travellers. We found that in particular future business travellers expect increasing emotional experience with art and culture, as opposed to traditionally commercial trade-focused. Responding to this demand, efficiency, sociability, and culture became the backbone of The Fleming’s new experience. Practical systems of storage, conveniently placed light switches and power points, thoughtfully zoned rooms that satisfy different usage, ledges and tracks along the walls that allow for unlimited configuration of the local artwork all support a smooth operation. Sociability is the essence of the layout design and custom made furniture, creating interfaces among guests as well as one to interact with the staff. The reception, for instance, has lounge chairs with movable backrests, creating a flexible and social space. Going beyond meeting the needs of the business travellers, we’ve curated a multi-sensory cultural experience, hoping each guest leaves Hong Kong feeling nostalgic.

At the very epicenter of Hong Kong’s design revolution, our 22-person shop uses design as a tool to rejuvenate culture and local neighbourhoods, creating works of substance that make Hong Kong a place people look to for inspiration. Ever daring and ever curious, we are constantly venturing into new projects and industries, including the launch of our exclusive line of furniture and lighting.

The project is located in the centre Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK a former shipbuilding and manufacturing hub in the North East of England during the Industrial Revolution and is now a centre of business, arts and sciences.

Set within a grand Georgian building within the heart of the city centre, it stands as a corner stone for the cities Grainger market dating back to 1830s and is now a Grade I listed building.

Designed by John Dobson and named after Richard Grainger, it is one of the few remaining covered markets in Britain today. A plaque, signifying its historical importance of the site as a bookshop and commemorates individuals who visited the bookshop during the 19th century. Notably, the Italian Revolutionary, Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1854 in addition to visits by the Hungarian Revolutionary Louis Kossuth and the American Reformer.

The bookshop became renowned across the city and soon became an informal meeting place for such people. Reflecting back to the time when the site was a former bookstore the “re_Forum” proposal sets out to recreate an informal place to promote the act of novel reading for a 21st-century city, taking into account the context of the site and the pragmatics to ensure the functioning of such an establishment.

The design intention is to recreate an open-plan interior space, allowing free flow movement for visitors by using layout strategy to encourage any passerby to engage in the act of novel reading and appreciate the value of stories. The proposal aims to respect the existing Grade I listed, responding to the existing architectural features and building layout whilst marrying it with a contemporary interpretation for its new role and creating an open light space.

The interior layout is a response to the Grainger Market’s multi-entrance, intersecting walkways, free movement and encouragement of enticing the local passersby. The idea of adapting the building to the surrounding environment is the main concept. Its aim is not to only represent the existing building itself but—in a broader context—to represent the City of Newcastle. This idea is to translate by creating a space that mimics what is around the perimeter and blends with the surroundings – the marriage of the old and the new. The space is divided into two areas:
1) functional – circulation and seating area
2) promotional – engagement of novels

The offset glass main entrance blurs the boundary of outside and inside and stimulates passersby to enter the building liberally. The bookshelves and the ceiling’s design refer to the façade and cornices of Georgian Architecture. The charred timber surface on features increases the drama of the novel bookstore. The delicate approach to the staircase encourages the visitors to effortlessly move and explore the space, the mezzanine—a restoration area where light meals and beverages can be enjoyed, inviting visitors to sit, relax, and read.

The towering bookshelves, positioned at strategic locations conceal both existing and new structural supports for the building and mezzanine. For environmental attitude, internal architectural elements where people may gather are located to avoid glare from incoming sunlight, allowing a more comfortable environment. The dark toned interior furniture absorbs the heat from low-angled winter sunlight while the flooring is kept lighter in tone to bounce the high-angled summer sunlight minimizing energy used for artificial lighting.

As second-year BA (Hons) Interior Architecture student from the University of Northumbria Newcastle, Try Andy has been involved in several architectural competitions locally and internationally. Being a highly enthusiastic and inspiring student especially in architectural field has made him successful in university and has received a lot of positive feedback from judging panels. In addition, this project has won multiple awards from The American Architecture Prize in 2017 including “New Discovery of the Year—Interior Design” and the main category.

The apartment occupies a top floor of a New York City, high-rise residential building located on the west side of Central Park, with beautiful views facing east over the park.

The idea for this project was born two or more decades ago when architect Yuuki Kitada visited the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, in Canaima, Venezuela. It was an impressive experience that he wanted to express architecturally. Kitada repeated the drama of Angel Falls in the construction and materials in this New York apartment.

The apartment is the result of two units combined, connected by a center corridor that they share. This layout presented the perfect opportunity to architecturally evoke flowing water in the entrance foyer.

At the same time that he was considering work on this apartment, Kitada had fortunately just discovered Vanilla Onyx stone slabs. Their exceptional color and grain evoked the flow of water. That stone is transfused with transparent soft color while also conveying dynamic strength. It proved to be the key to turning the idea into reality. Also, quite coincidentally, the owner wanted to have a water-like feature at the entrance to the apartment in feng shui style. Kitada was thus able to meet the owner’s request in design and style and with the right materials. In addition to using Vanilla Onyx to evoke the feeling of water, he used Venetian plaster in the hall—plain at the front but imitating the streaks and streams of rainfall toward the back—to emphasize an ambience of water flow. The overall effect invites people to enter that space like flying birds.

The circular rotunda was created with the curved Macassar wall/doors and the dome ceiling at the middle of the corridor. In five bathrooms out of six, varieties of stone slabs of white Onyx, Nero Dorato, Statuary White, Calacatta Gold, Honey Onyx, and Brazilian White were used. In the master bathroom the sliding mirrors maximize the view of Central Park for the owner while she relaxes in the bath.

Yuuki Kitada began his career with the I. M. Pei company, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, where he worked on such major projects as the Miho Museum, Stanford University Science and Engineering Quad and US Air Force Memorial. He was Project Architect for Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) on the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) expansion. He was Senior Architect for Peter Marino for such prestigious retail clients as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior and Fendi. With Peter Marino Architect he also did a number of Manhattan residential projects in the Central Park area.

Yuuki Kitada was born in Nara. He studied architecture at Meiji University in Tokyo and came to the United States for graduate school at the prestigious Illinois Institute of Technology. He brings a philosophy of deep respect for the beauty of Nature, natural materials and landscape, along with a subtle sense of irony and the unexpected, to his commercial, cultural, residential and retail architecture. To these elements he adds an innovative international spirit to achieve design and construction projects of contemporary power and beauty.